Rug making



Jan- 5, 1937. H. l.. sHuT'rLEwoR'ri-l 2,066,545

Filed June 27' 1936 filing@ '/gmwwwwm ATTORNEYS I pleted -byflnishingthe raw or cut edges.

accent 'une c novara it. staatsman, afnam, n. r., assignor to Mohawk@arnet Mills, inc., terdam, hl. if., a corporation of New Yorkapplication `1llune 2f, i936, Serial No. 87,673

This .invention relates to pile surfaced rugs, such as vare producedfrom a pile fabric woven in an indeiinite length and subsequently cutinto pieces of proper rug size, and is concerned more particularly witha novel binding or finish for the raw or cut edges of such a rug, and amethod.

by which such binding or finish may be readily 'applied The new bindingnot only improves the appearance of the edges along which it is used,but also prevents distortion and unraveling of the edge portions of thefabric and supports and protects the adjacent pile tufts against unduewear. llt may-be employed to advantage in connection with pile fabricsof various types, but since its use is especially desirable in themanufacture of rugs of Axrninster fabrics, an adaptation of theinvention for that purpose will be illustrated and described in detailfor purposes of explanation. Itis to be understood, however, and will bereadily apparent that the utility of the invention is not limited to itsemployment on pile fabrics of any specific type.

In the production of Arminster rugs, it is now the. common practice toWeave an indennita length of fabric which is made up of pile surfacedsections of final rug size connected by short lengths of web, referredto as headings, from which the pile tufts have been omitted. These rugsections are separated by cutting the headings transversely, and therugs are then com- For this purpose, the portion of the heading at eachend of the rug is usually folded back underneath the body of the fabricand, secured thereto by a hemming operation which involves stitching theinwardly folded edge to the main body of the fabric. In some instances,the raw edge of the of buttonholes. Regardless of whether or not theedge of the heading is thus bound, the folding under of the headingproduces a double thickness of the web of the vfabric adjacent the endedges of the rug, so that along these edges, the pile surface is raisedsomewhat, and as a result, is subjected to increased wear and crushingso that its appearance soon becomes impaired. Sometes, in order toconceal'the bent portion of the fabric, the line of bending is made tolie within the pile surfaced section a short distancelso that one ormore rows of pile tufts are included in the bent portion; le thisimproves the initial appear-u ance of the rug at its ends, thetuftsreferred to (Gi. i12-262) are subjected to much wear, and as a result,they soon become matted and distorted and the edge becomes irregular andunattractive.

Another disadvantage of the present practice in the finishing of the rawor cut edges of such rugs is the result of the relatively loose weave ofthe fabric. Axminster fabrics are usually Woven with stuffer and binderthreads which are unl sized and comparatively soft and the weft threadsordinarilyemploye'd are of unsized jute. This m combination does notproduce a tight bind in the web of the fabric, and although it is thecommon practice to coat the back of the fabric with a size to stiftenthe web and bind the pile tufts in place, the web can be easilystretched and the weft threads moved out of alignment with one another.This is particularly true at any raw or unselvedged edge, and in theedge binding operation heretofore practiced, the stitches which attachthe folded portion of the web to the :main body porm tion of the rugextend parallel to the weft threads and consequently do not protect theedge portion from being distorted as a result of wear, handling, orother strains applied thereto. Such distortion of the fabric edges notonly detracts from the 9 appearance of the rug, but also permits thepile tufts along the edge to be loosened and dislodged.

The present invention is, accordingly, directed yto the provision of anovel binding or nish for the edge of a pile surfaced rug, which avoidsthe a@ disadvantages of the binding heretofore used, and also to amethod by which the new binding may be readily applied. The binding ofthe invention does not increase the thickness of the body of the fabricto any important extent, it prevents gg undue wear of the pile tuftsforming the face of the fabric along the bound edge, and it positivelybinds in place the threads in the body of the fabricfor a considerabledistance bach from the edge so that raveling and pulling out of these 1f threads and dislodgment of the pile tufts are avoided.

The new edge binding involves the use of a reinforcement which isapplied to the back of the fabric along the edge thereof to be nished.This ad reinforcement may be of various materials, so

long as it performs its desired function of securing the component partsof the fabric against relative displacement and it may convenientlyAtake the form of a strip of thin textile material tti which ispreferably adhesively axed to the fabric with' one edge of the stripaligned with the raw edge of the fabric. The strip has a width such that'it engages' a plurality of bach weft .threads and by reason of itsbeing secured firmly thereto, these weft threads are held securely inplace and dislodgement thereof and distortion of the fabric are avoided.The raw edge of the fabric is then finished byl overedge stitching whichpasses through the body of the fabric and the reinforcement, and thestitching is done in such manner that it embraces and encloses aplurality of weft threads in the fabric and at least one row of piletufts. `The bound portion of the edge thus has considerable bulk and thestitching provides support for the row of pile tufts adjacent thereto,so that these tufts remain upright and do not become attened orotherwise displaced.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to theaccompanying drawing, in which l Figure l is a perspective view, partlyin longitudinal section, illustrating a portion of a rug provided withthe -new binding, and

Figure 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of a portion of a pile fabrichaving its edge bound in accordance with the prior practice.

Referring to Figure 2, which illustrates one form of binding heretoforeemployed, the fabric shown therein comprises a web I having a pilesurface formed of pile tufts II. Beyond the end of the pile surfacedportion is i heading I2 which is a portion of the web of the fabric fromwhich the pile tufts had been omitted during the weaving. To nish therug, the heading is folded inward beneath the pile surfaced section,with the free end I3 of the heading having a further reverse fold, ifdesired. The folded portions are then secured in place by a line ofstitching I4 which passes through them and through the body of thefabric.

. With the prior construction illustrated, it will be noted that whenthe rug lies at on the floor, the pile surface adjacent the line offolding I5 will be raised upward above the top of the remainder of thepile surface so that the tufts along the edge Will be exposed toexcessive Wear. Also, the pile tufts I6, I1, and I8 adjacent the line offolding are unsupported and they are bent downward in the foldingoperation so that they are subjected 'to the greatest Wear during theuse of the rug, and frequently become matted together or worn off.Moreover, the binding operation does not hold together the weft threadsin the folded portion at the left of the line of stitching, asillustrated in the drawing, and these threads, by reason of theexcessive wear on the edge portions of the rug, become displaced, andthis promotes the loss of the tufts.

The binding of the invention is illustrated in Figure 1 in which it isshown applied to a rug of a typical Axminster fabric of the two-plane,three-shot construction. In this fabric, the weft shots I9, 20, and 2llie above the upper stuffer warps 22, between the upper and lowerstuffer warps 22, 23, and below the lower stuffer warps 23,respectively. The weft shots are bound in place by a single set ofbinder Warps 24 and the tuft yarns 25 are looped about the middle weftshots 2B.

In the production of rugs from this fabric, the fabric is woven in anindenite length without headings and cut into pieces of rug size.Thereafter, the raw edges are finished by flrst applying a reinforcingstrip 26 to the back of the fabric along each rawA edge, and preferablywith one edge 21 of the strip substantially aligned with the raw edge ofthe fabric. The reinforcing strip may be of various materials, but it ispreferably accette of thin closely woven textile material and it ispreferably secured in place/by a film 28 of an adhesive, such as aplastic cement. An adhesive containing rubber is preferred by reason (ofits waterproof qualities, and preferably the adhesive employed is onewhich is capable of setting quickly. The reinforcing strip is of a widthsuch that it underlies a plurality of back weft shots 2|, and in thefabric illustrated, the strip underlies ve such shots, although agreater or less 'number may be engaged by the strip. Also in thedrawing, the strip and the film of adhesive are shown somewhat enlarged,but it is to be under'- stood that together they do not add materiallyto the thickness of the fabric.

To complete the binding, each raw edge of the fabric is enclosed byoveredge stitching 29 which passes through the pile surface, the body ofthe fabric, and the strip 26, with the stitching enclosing a pluralityof weft shots and at least one row of pile tufts. In the constructionillustrated, the stitches enclose four weft shots and one row of tufts30, and the stitches lie close together and are drawn sufficiently tautto crush and compress the row of tufts enclosed by them. The compressedtufts 3U, together with the closely adjacent stitches which enclose andconceal them, produce an enlargement along the edge of the fabric which,as shown, is thicker than the body or web of the fabric and extendsabove it and part way up the height of the pile surface. One portion 3|of each of the stitches lies in contact with the pile tufts 32 in therow lying next adjacent to the bound edge, and the enlargement supportsthese tufts 32 and prevents them from being distorted and forced out ofposition when the rug is in use.

If desired, the strip 26 may be attached to the web before thel roll offabric is cut, and it may be coated with an adhesive and applied to theback of the web by pressure or by heat, or the adhesive may be appliedto the back of the web and the strip then aixed thereto.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the new binding is farsuperior to the binding now in use in numerous respects. Thereinforcement engaging the back weft shots prevents the fabric frombecoming loosened and the weft shots separated and it also provides ananchorage for the overedge stitches.' If no reinforcement were employed,the overedge stitches and the weft shots and pile tufts enclosed therebywould become loose in the course of time and might even pull off thebinder and stuffer Warps. With the overedge stitches passing through thereinforcement and the latter secured to the back of the fabric over asubstantial area thereof, the component parts of the fabric adjacent theedge are maintained firmly in position and the overedge stitches cannotvbe dislodged. The new binding does not add sufllciently to thethickness of the fabric to cause excessive wear on the pile tuftsadjacent the bound edge, and since the visible portion of the bindinghas considerable bulk by reason of the pile tufts enclosed therein, thebinding gives the rug an attractive appearance. 'I'he useiof the newbinding also effects a saving in manufacture, in that when the newbinding is employed, the fabric may be woven in a continuous length, andit is not necessary to weave headings between adjacent pile surfacedsections.

While I have described the new binding as applied to the transverselyextending edge of an Axminster fabric, it will be evident that it 73hdddbdb of pile tufts along said edge enclosed within and may beemployed advantageously along any raw edge of any kind of pile fabric.llt is particularly useful. however, in connection with dnrninsterfabrics because of the characteristics of that weave.

ll claim:

l. .d rug which comprises a fabric body made up of interwoven warp andweft threads and having a back and a pile surface formed of pile tufts,said body having a raw edge, a. reinforcement amxed tothe bach of thebody along said edge, and an enlargement along said edge thiol:- er thanthe fabric body excluding the pile surfalce and formed of a plurality ofclosely adjacent overedge stitches along said edge passing throughthebody and reinforcement and at least one row of pile tufts along saidedge enclosed within and concealed and compressed by said stitches, saidenlargement engaging and supporting the pile tufts adjacent thereto.

2. A rug whichl comprises a fabric body made up of interwoven Warp andweft threads and having a back and a pile surface formed of pile tufts,said body having a raw edge, a reinforcement strip affixed to the backof the body along said edge, and an enlargement along said edgethiclrerthan the Afabric body excluding the pile siu'face and formed ofa plurality of closely adjacent overedge stitches along said edgepassing through the body and reinforcement and at least one row of piletufts along said edge enclosed within and concealed and compressed bysaid stitches, said enlargement engaging and supporting the pile tuftsadjacent thereto.

3. A rug which comprises a fabric body made up of interwoven warp andweft `threads land having a back 'and a pile surface formed of piletufts, said body having a raw edge, a reinforcement adhesively affixedto the back of the body along said edge, and an enlargement along saidedge thicker than the fabric body excluding the pile surface and formedof a plurality of closely adjacent overedge stitches along said edgepassing through the body and reinforcement and at least one row of piletufts along said edge enclosed within and concealed and compressed bysaid stitches, said enlargement engaging and supporting the pile tuftsadjacent thereto.

4. A rug which comprises a fabric body made up of interwoven warp andweft threads and having a back and a pile surface formed of pile tufts,said body having a raw edge, a reinforcing strip amxed to the back ofthe body with one edge substantially in registry with said edge of thebody, and an enlargement along said edge thicker than, the fabric bodyexcluding the pile surface and formed of a plurality of closely adjacentoveredge stitches along said edge passing through the body and strip andat least one row concealed and compressed by said stitches, saidenlargement engaging and supporting the pile tufts adjacent thereto.

5. A rug which comprises a fabric body made up of interwoven warp andweft aan and having a bach and a pile surface formed of pile tuftsarranged in rows, said body having a raw edge, a strip of fabric amazedto the bach of the fabric along said edge thereof by means of aninterposedfilm of plastic cement, and an enlargement along said edgethicker than the fabric body excluding the pile surface and formed of aplurality of closely adjacent overedge stitches along said edge passingthrough the body and strip and at least one row of pile tufts along saidedge enclosed within and concealed and oompressed by said stitches, saidenlargement engaging and supporting the pile tufts adjacent thereto.

6. A rug which comprises a fabric body made up of interwoven warp andweft threads and having a back and a pile surface formed of pile tufts,said body having "a raw edge, means on the back of the body along saidedge for preventing relative dislodgment ofthe warp and weft threads.;and an enlargement along said edge thicker than the fabric bodyexcluding the pile surface and formed of a plurality of closely adjacentoveredge stitches along said edge passing vthrough the body and saidmeans, and at least one row of pile tufts along said edge enclosedwithin and concealed and compressed by ifi said stitches, saidenlargement engaging and supporting the pile tufts adjacent thereto.

7. A method of binding the raw edge of a pile fabric having a pilesurface formed of rows ofl pile tufts, winch comprises ailixing areinforcing strip to the back of the fabric along said edge, and passinga series of closely adjacent overedge stitches through the fabric andstrip along said raw edge with said stitches enclosing, compressing, andconcealing at least one row of tufts, said stitches and compressed tuftsforming an enlargement engaging and supporting the adjacent tufts.

8. A method of producing pile surfaced rugs which comprises weaving apile fabric in an indefinite length, the fabric having a pile surfacethroughout, severing pieces of rug sizefrom the fabric, applying areinforcement to the back of the fabric adjacent each cut edge, andpassing a series of closely adjacent overedge stitches through thefabric and reinforcement along each cut edge with said stitchesenclosing, concealing and compressing at least one row of tufts, saidstitches and enclosed tufts forming an enlargement engaging andsupporting the adjacent tufts.

HOWARD L. SHU'I'I'LEWORTH.

